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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why is the cashier impressed with the narrator?
(a) He used to be a marine biologist.
(b) He owns a restaurant.
(c) He attends Oxford.
(d) He is a vegetarian.

2. How long is the gas station cashier on the job?
(a) One month.
(b) Ten days.
(c) It's his first night.
(d) It's the end of his first week.

3. At the start of the story, what does the narrator notice about the cashier?
(a) The cashier looks frightened.
(b) The cashier looks drunk.
(c) The cashier is asleep.
(d) The cashier resembles him.

4. What does Triton say when Mr. Salgado asks him if he has any schooling?
(a) He has no time for school because he's had to help raise his siblings.
(b) He has some schooling but he does not like the teachers.
(c) He's been to school, knows how to read and write, and speaks some English.
(d) He's been to school at the temple and is familiar with religious teachings.

5. Why does the cashier turn off the outside lights?
(a) So the monthly electric bill won't be as high.
(b) To close early and go home to his family.
(c) So he can take a ten-minute smoking break.
(d) To keep customers away while the problem is being resolved.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who stumbles towards the narrator and the cashier as the two are engrossed in conversation?

2. What does the cashier confirm to the narrator?

3. How is Mr. Salgado associated with the narrator?

4. What compensation does Joseph get, and what warning does he get, at the end of "Kolla"?

5. After escaping from Joseph, where does Triton go to wait?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the relationship between Triton and Mr. Salgado.

2. Through which character does the author choose to reveal the changing sociopolitical landscape of Sri Lanka across many decades?

3. What does Triton do right after he fills up the tank of his old Volkswagen?

4. Where does this story begin?

5. When he is a boy, why does Triton regard Mr. Salgado's house as the "center of the universe"?

6. Why does Triton often seek refuge in Lucy-amma's kitchen?

7. At the start of the story, who does the narrator speak with?

8. During their first meeting, how does Triton reply when Mr. Salgado asks if he's been to school?

9. Why does the gas station cashier want the narrator to speak with his boss?

10. In the opening scene, what kind of trouble does the cashier experience?

(see the answer keys)

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